Customer Reviews:
 Short and Sweet Surrealism August 1, 2007
Mala (London, UK)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
If you are drawn to surrealist work you will definitely enjoy this book. The stories have been written as a collection of gothic tales, but I found myself laughing at the tragedy of it all most of the time! Well written, warped literature.
 Poe's Tales January 22, 2006
B. Davison (Glasgow, Scotland)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
In terms of this anthology in particular, all of Poe's well-known stories seem to be there, including 'The Pit & The Pendulum' and 'The Tell-Tale Heart.' However, Poe's frequent use of foreign languages in his stories can spoil enjoyment, and on at least two occasions I could not fully grasp the ending of a story because no translation to these languages was given in this edition. This is a particular concern for the opening story, 'Duc de L'Omelette'.In terms of Poe's writing, my opinion is divided. His stories (those in this book, at least), seem to be either his famous tales of terror or more essay-type pieces. The tales of terror, especially 'The Pit & the Pendulum' and 'The Cask of Amontillado', are very well-written and I enjoyed them a lot. However, a number of his stories are more like essays and these can be hard to follow in the old-fashioned language Poe used and, if you are unaccustomed to Poe, can leave you waiting forever for the story to begin. Overall, I enjoyed Poe's writings supplied here and they grew on me as I became more used to his style, but they are not as scary nor as easy to follow as more modern tales.
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